


We're Still Here

by Tempestas_D_Uzu



Series: I Am Not Nothing [3]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Instincts, Animal Traits, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF T'Challa (Marvel), Brother and Sister - Freeform, Character Study, Civil War Team Iron Man, Extremis James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Extremis Pepper Potts, Extremis Tony Stark, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Tony Stark, First Meetings, Genius Shuri (Marvel), Inspired by Music, Italian, Meme Lord Shuri (Marvel), Minor Happy Hogan/Pepper Potts, Nightmares, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Black Panther (2018) Compliant, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Pet Names, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective T'Challa (Marvel), Rebellion, Shuri is a Little Shit, Song Lyrics, Sweet T'Challa (Marvel), T'Challa (Marvel) Is a Good Bro, T'Challa Has PTSD, T'Challa-centric (Marvel), Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Unreliable Narrator, We're Still Here by Sleeping at Last, Yoruba, inspired by a song, no beta we die like men, royal consort Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 16:53:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16329923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempestas_D_Uzu/pseuds/Tempestas_D_Uzu
Summary: The first time he met her, he was twenty and she was twenty-four; this meeting makes him change his perceptions of Toni Stark, and he changes his mind a few more times afterwards. It's not until a decade later that he starts falling in love.Despite everything they had gone through, all the pain and heartbreak, they were still here and they found each other.





	We're Still Here

**Author's Note:**

> I have a bit of a headcanon that T'Challa has a panther roaming around in the back of his head, which gives him animal-like instincts and traits :3
> 
> Translations:  
> Ododo mi = My Flower (Yoruba)  
> Mo nifẹ rẹ = I love you (Yoruba)  
> Oro ayo mi = My source of happiness (Yoruba)  
> Arewa = (I believe it means beautiful, but I'm not completely sure) (Yoruba)  
> Anche io ti amo. = I love you too (Italian)  
> Ife mi = My love (Yoruba)  
> Orekelewa = (Something along the lines of "beauty that surpasses all other beauties") (Yoruba)  
> Ade ori mi = My crown (Yoruba)
> 
> https://omgvoice.com/lifestyle/romantic-yoruba-words-pet-name  
> https://www.nairaland.com/1007784/yoruba-terms-endearment/1

**We’re Still Here**

 

 

_The first time T’Challa meets Antonia Stark, he’s twenty years old and attending Oxford University with the intention of receiving a Physics PhD. It’s his first time out of Wakanda, and his face and status is rather unknown so that he can study in peace._

_Antonia is his opposite; she’s twenty-four, and her face is plastered all over the world’s medias as one of the most prominent business runners in the world. T’Challa knows of her, who doesn’t, and he knows her father’s crimes of theft against his people. He’s followed her life in the media, and so has his father, and even Shuri, sixteen years his junior knew of her (but for a completely different reason – the young girl idolizes the American engineering genius, and has declared Stark her self-appointed rival)._

_That day, T’Challa is sitting in a small café, enjoying his tea while perusing his notes, when she walks in._

_He looks up, cataloging the new body in the mostly–empty café, and he actually has to take a second look to recognize who it is._

Antonia Stark.

_Admittedly, he’s probably only picked it out because he can recognize another person hiding in plain sight, much like he is, and T’Challa isn’t surprised that the girl behind the counter doesn’t realize that the American ordering the largest coffee size they have is one of the most famous people in the world, and not just another exhausted college student. She’s dressed in slim red jeans and a black band shirt, a pair of wire-framed glasses balanced on her nose, and a slouched beanie._

_T’Challa has to look again just to make sure that he’s not seeing things, but yes, it is still the richest woman in the world._

_Who’s eyes have landed on him, and she’s making her way towards him._

_She’s caught him staring._

_T’Challa closes his textbook with a snap as she takes the seat across from him, studying him from over the rim of her coffee cup._

_“Well,_ hello _there Chocolate Thunder.” She purrs, leaning back against her newly claimed seat, and T’Challa blinks, because he’s never had anyone speak this openly with him before. “You’ve been watching me.”_

_“It’s hard not to,” He returns, trying not to show how flustered he is by taking another mouthful of tea, “When one of the most famous women in the world walks in.”_

_Stark grins, her eyes sparkling with amusement, “So you noticed.”_

_“You are good at hiding,” He admits, “It’s hard to recognize you out of what you wear in interviews.”_

_“People see what they want to see,” She shrugs, “But you have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, and I don’t have a name to place with your face.”_

_“T’Challa,” The prince offers after a moment of hesitation, and Stark grins._

_“_ T’Challa _, huh?” She echoes, playing with the foreign name and rolling it on her tongue, and T’Challa is thankful for his complexion when he feels his cheeks heating up._

_“Indeed.”_

_Stark hums, sitting back again to cast her sharp gaze around the café, then back to him. “Physics, good book?” She asks, then shrugs again at the look he shoots her, “Honestly, I’ve read it already, what do you think about it?”_

_T’Challa glances down at the cover, then back to the American businesswoman, “A little bland.”_

_She laughs, bright and clear, and she agrees “They always are.”_

_T’Challa’s opinion of the bright, intelligent woman changes that day, and he knows that the media has made the decision to exploit and exaggerate her flaws for a sensational story; she flirts with him, yes, but she seems much more enthused to debate the laws of physics with him then sleep with him._

**_All of a sudden,_ **  
**_You changed my mind._ **

 

T’Challa watches as the world cries for Toni Stark to show herself in the absence of those truly responsible, to stop being cowardly, and answer for the crimes committed by Captain America and the Avengers that sided with him. He watches, and he judges.

But Stark is silent, no where in sight, and T’Challa worries.

Should he have not taken the Captain at face value? T’Challa regrets not going to check before leaving Siberia, regrets putting his guilt before his common sense. Mama had always told him that he was a good man with a good heart, but a good man was not always a good king, and that to be a good king he would have to put his heart aside.

Toni Stark is a good person, that much T’Challa knows, and he respects the person she has become since her capture at the hands of the Ten Rings.

If she was dead, T’Challa would carry that guilt forever.

If she was dead, Captain Roger’s time under his protection would be limited, and he would have to answer for what he did.

 

**_Pulled back the curtains_ **

 

_His memories of the moment is a blur of screams and ashes and the scent of death and burning flesh in the air._

_He remembers meeting his Baba’s eyes, proud of his father and king as he presents his views of the Accords, as he extends a hand to the rest of the world to test the waters._

_But that pride melts away to dread as he smells the chemicals, feels the rattling of the first bombs going off, and suddenly Baba’s eyes are no longer bright, they are resigned._

_He charges, to cover his father’s body with his own as the flames rush forward._

_People are screaming._

_But he’s not fast enough, and he cradles Baba’s body close._

_He sobs._

And he jolts awake with a strangled, gasping scream, shaking as he stares around his chambers; the ones he had grown up in.

T’Challa had refused to take the Royal Chambers after his coronation, because those were Baba’s rooms, and despite seeing his father amongst his ancestors, sometimes T’Challa still expects to see his father walk into the Palace one of these days.

The new King curls forward with a pained moan, cradling his head in his hands as he struggles against the tears.

Baba is dead, and T’Challa is King.

 

_**A little at a time.** _

 

T’Challa storms into the wing he had ordered Rogers and Barnes stay in, his am façade barely holding as dark eyes scanned over Rogers and the new number of people relaxing in his home.

People who should be in jail, and who are putting his people in even more danger than they already were by T’Challa’s rash actions in offering Barnes a safe place to recover, the offer that Rogers took advantage of and refused to leave after seeing his friend safely to Wakanda.

( _A danger to the Tribe!_ The Panther howls, _How dare they!_ )

Rogers had leapt to his feet when T’Challa entered, a smile on his face as he turns away from his conversation with the Scarlet Witch and the Widow. “Your Highness!” The Captain greets him brightly, “I’d like to introduce you to my team-“

“What have you _done_?” T’Challa demands instead, and Rogers falters.

“Nat contacted me, she told me that Ross and Toni locked everyone up. I couldn’t leave them behind!”

 _Like you left Doctor Stark behind?_ T’Challa wants to ask, but he holds his tongue; diplomacy was knowing when or not to say something, and he had been trained in it since the cradle, his lessons focusing on it just as much as they had combat. “And in doing so, you instigated a _violent prison break_ , and put _my people_ in danger, after I told you not to leave this wing.”

“Listen, Your Highness, I’m _sorry_ I broke my word,” The Captain looks both apologetic and stubborn, “But you don’t know what they were doing to them in there. It was inhumane! They had Wanda in a shock collar!”

T’Challa wants to pinch the bridge of his nose, but combats the instinct. “That may be so, Captain, but there were other ways to go about doing things, that did _not_ involve violence.”

“There was no other way-“

“You could have come to _me_.” T’Challa interrupts, praying to Bast for patience. “You _should_ have brought that information to me, and I would have brought it to the attention of the United Nations.”

Rogers set his chin stubbornly, like a child; _Shuri_ had more dignity then the Captain did, and she quoted those infernal _Vines_ in regular conversations. “There wasn’t time.”

_He didn’t have time for this._

“It is too late now,” The new King says instead of releasing the frustrated scream that was building in his chest. “You are all to _stay here_ , and not leave this wing under any circumstance. I will have guards posted at the doors, and you may speak to them if you require anything, and they will send for a servant.”

“ _Steve_.” The witch whines, and the Captain offers the woman a comforting smile.

“No one is going to lock you up, Wanda.” He shoots T’Challa a disappointed look, and T’Challa _definitely_ doesn’t roll his eyes when he turns away from him. “We won’t let them.”

 

_**You were on a frequency,** _

 

T’Challa isn’t completely sure what to think when the request for a video chat comes through on his private number, but he accepts it anyway.

And is immediately pleasantly surprised when the face of Toni Stark takes over his screen.

“Hey there Pussycat,” She greets cheerfully as she spins in her seat, and T’Challa releases a relieved breath; she looked healthy, and bright eyed, but there was something in her expression that made the hair on the back of T’Challa’s neck prickle.

And then the bomb dropped.

“How’re the kids?”

 

**_The perfect opposite of me_ **

 

The following months are a roller coaster of UN meetings, working together with Toni to start the creation of a new Avengers team, and T’Challa gets to know much more about the American billionaire than he had ever thought possible.

She was a kind-hearted woman, harden by years of manipulation, bitterness, and aggressive business partners. She had an intelligent mind, but a preference to be around machines than other people; the result of a mixture of social awkwardness and a strained childhood. She was selfless, and sarcastic, with a sharp sense of humour that was usually at her own expense rather than other’s. She was fierce and protective, like a mother panther with a young cub, and a spine of Vibranium when faced with conflict, and T’Challa thinks Baba would have liked this bright, vivacious woman.

But above all else, she has a disgustingly low opinion of herself, she's skittish, she apologizes on instinct when anything goes wrong, and someone had led her to believe that she needed to earn kindness, and didn’t deserve happiness.

The knowledge of such a radical differences between settings, that such a powerful woman is so damaged by betrayal, infuriates T’Challa when he puts the pieces together, and he wants to prove her wrong.

She deserves happiness, she deserves kindness, and she deserves to be loved as fiercely as she loves.

( _She needs a Tribe,_ the Panther rumbles.)

When she comes to their meeting one day with her hair cut short, T’Challa sees her truly happy and unburdened for the first time, and he freezes.

Okoye’s following teasing lets the King know that he’s not going to live down his reaction for a long time.

 

**_Though I never needed any proof_ **

 

 _Baba always made ruling look easy,_ T’Challa thinks mournfully as his council bicker around him, and he wants to press a hand against his eyes. Bringing Wakanda into the world is difficult, and his advisors are _not_ helping the matter by arguing like children, and insulting each other; T’Challa himself has already been told half a dozen times that _King T’Chaka wouldn’t do it that way_ or _King T’Chaka would not approve of that_ , and he’s slowly loosing his patience.

It hurts, but his father is dead and buried, and _T’Challa_ is King now, a role he had been _preparing_ for, but one he wasn’t prepared to take without his father’s guidance.

( _We need someone at our side, a Mate,_ the Panther croons, _A Queen, loyal and selfless with a spine of vibranium. Like Mama was for Baba._ )

And then Shuri bursts into the room like Bast herself is chasing her, and T’Challa doesn’t know if he wants to scold his sister, or thank her for derailing the argument.

“Brother,” Shuri’s voice is grave, and any levity that T’Challa had been feeling is gone. “You _need_ to see this.”

__

_**To trust the heart that beats inside of you.** _

 

T’Challa can’t quite _breathe_ properly as the videos play out before him, and his fingers dig into the desk he’s leaning on.

He thinks that if he didn’t have the support, the pressure against his fingers grounding him, he would have already stormed out of the room and hunted that dishonorable man down. He would have definitely done something he would have come to regret if he did that, because T’Challa doubts he would be merciful.

Not when he watches Steve Rogers, someone Toni _trusted_ , lie to her face and then admit that he had known about, and had probably actively covering up, the truth of the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark.

Especially not when Rogers and Barnes proceed to beat the grieving woman down until she could no longer move, blood on her pale face, and then _leave_ her.

(He is, however, very impressed when he watches Toni give as good as she got, and hold her own against two enhanced individuals.

 _She is as fierce as she is beautiful,_ the Panther purrs, _Powerful and protective, a good fit for the Tribe._ )

T’Challa knows enough about Toni Stark to know that she’s not fighting to her full potential, that she’s not using the plethora of weapons that she has at her disposal. She’s only her fists, and reactor beams, and from the power in the energy weapon, she’s only aiming to inflict pain.

Rogers, however, is not holding back, and he crushes her armour with the shield and his enhanced strength; he crushes the armour that protects the delicate chest of a human with no physical enhancements, and with a history of a compromised chest.

Rogers must have known, especially if they were as close as the Captain has said.

“ _Brother_?” Shuri starts, and T’Challa pulls his hands away from his sister’s desk, studying the indents left behind guiltily, before turning to her. She looks hesitant, but there’s an angry fire in her eyes, “What should we do?”

( _Hunt them down, tear them apart and present their throats to her as a prize,_ the Panther suggests)

Instead of doing any of that, however, T’Challa presses his lips together in a thin line and distracts himself by adjusting his tunic, before speaking. “I need to make a call.”

 

(Toni answers on the first ring, but doesn’t accept a video chat, and T’Challa doesn’t even get the chance to offer an apology before Toni is speaking.

“It’s all true.” She tells him.

“It’s not your fault.” Is added when T’Challa _does_ get the chance to apologize.

“I’m done living for Steven fucking Rogers, it’s time for him to face the goddamn music for once in his damned life. I’m going to make sure of it.” She growls when T’Challa asks what she plans to do.

 

“What can I do?” He asks quietly, and Toni goes silent for a moment.

“Don’t hate me?” Is her hesitant, shaking response, the first show of insecurity since the beginning of the call, and T’Challa doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“I doubt I could if I tried.”)

 

_**Only one thing really matters:** _

 

T’Challa remembers the weight of his father’s body in his arms, he remembers Baba’s dead eyes staring up at him and he has his father’s blood on his hands, on his suit, and on the floor that he kneels on. He remembers his sorrow and how it had turned to _rage_ as the Panther howled at the loss.

He had wanted vengeance, he had wanted Baba’s murderer brought to Wakandan justice.

He remembers the guilt he had felt when he had learned that the one he was hunting wasn’t the man who had killed his father, and the dishonour he had brought to Wakanda and his father’s memory in his misplaced hunt.

Sargent Barnes didn’t kill _his_ father.

But he did kill _Toni’s_ , and her mother.

And Captain Rogers, a man Toni had believed to be a friend, had covered it up, and Toni had been forced to learn from the enemy.

Toni deserves to take justice for herself, and it’s that fact that makes T’Challa step away from the infuriating man, blood on his broken knuckles and a bruise forming under his eye.

( _It’s rude to steal another’s prey,_ the Panther agrees, _Not a good way to prove yourself worthy of her._ )

 

_**We’re still here. We’re still here.** _

 

_“Bring her into the Tribe! Marry this woman and make her my big sister! She’s perfect!”_

T’Challa knew he wasn’t going to live this down; he’d never regret inviting Toni to Wakanda, and he was happy, even pleased, to introduce her to his family and Tribe, but at that moment in time he was cursing his reaction to Shuri’s joke.

He rushes into the Royal Wing and towards their mother’s office, steps behind his little sister, and their mother is sat calmly at her desk working her way through paperwork.

“Hello, my children.” The Queen Mother barely looks up when T’Challa tackles his little sister, the two rolling across the floor, scuffling like small children instead of the King and Princess they are.

“Mama! _Mama_!” Shuri cries, rolling away from her brother, grinning widely-

T’Challa interrupts, “Do _not_ listen to her!”

“Make him marry Toni Stark!” Shuri chirps, “It’s adorable the way he pines!”

“I do _not pine_!” The King squawks, and Shuri laughs in delight.

“I’ve decided! Toni is _perfect_ for him! She would be the perfect Queen!”

“You don’t get to make that decision!” T’Challa splutters, horrified even as the Panther is pleased.

Shuri shoots him a victorious stare, “I do _so_! You told me that I could pick your future consort!”

“You were _three_!” T’Challa’s voice raises in pitch, “You were upset thinking that I was going to leave you for another!”

“But you still promised!” Shuri argues, “And you _always_ keep your promise! I’ve made my decision, and I’ve decided on that woman.”

“Well,” Mother sounds amused, “I would want to get to know my future daughter-in-law before giving my blessing.” Shuri cheers and T’Challa sends his mother a betrayed look. “It is lucky that Doctor Stark is currently visiting Wakanda, is it not? I can bond with the woman my son has admired since he was young.”

“It have _not_!”

“You returned from London and immediately began to research the woman,” Mama reminds him, and T’Challa’s cheeks warm, “Any time she was mentioned, it would have your attention.”

“It was curious!” He whines, even as Shuri cackles and slips out of his hold, fleeing to the safe zone at their mother’s side.

“You _freeze_ when she enters the room, Brother.” The teenager teases, “You told me that she smells good!”

“I was drunk.” He tries to argue, but it falls flat at the unimpressed stare his mother and sister aim towards him. “Nothing makes sense when you are drunk.”

There’s a brisk knock on the door, and T’Challa scrambles to his feet, brushing off his tunic as he does so.

Mother sends him a knowing look, “Enter!”

“Queen Mother,” Ayo greets as she opens the door, “My King, Princess. Doctor Stark is wondering if the emergency has been dealt with, and has asked if you require any aide.”

“ _Ah,_ ” T’Challa pauses, and clears his throat guiltily at the reminder that he had left her in the labs to chase after his sister. Then he adjusts his tunic, shooting Shuri a glare as she snickers “I promised her a full tour, did I not? I will return and finish that now.” With all the dignity he could muster, he sweeps out of the room, Shuri’s cackles following him down the hall.

“He _froze!_ ”

 

_**Against all odds, we’re still here. Still here.** _

 

An explosion rocks the Royal Palace, and T’Challa freezes; _he’s remembering screams, ashes, and the look in Baba’s eyes as the flames swallow him and T’Challa is thrown away from him._

A small, calloused hand wraps around T’Challa’s wrist, grounding him, and he draws in a ragged gasp as he snaps back to present time, his tunic damp with the cold sweat he had broken into at the memory. He is in the Royal Garden, and Toni is staring up at him with worried amber eyes, she’s frowning knowingly.

“We need to go.” She nods toward the smoke rising from the Palace, and T’Challa shakes off the last of his flashback, activating his Black Panther suit and letting Shuri’s nanobots wash over him.

“Your suit?” He asks, and Toni shakes her head.

“In the labs, for a systems update.”

T’Challa nods grimly, and with a “Stay close.” he bolts for the Palace, Toni falling into step behind him.

There are Wakandans in the halls, all wearing blank masks and clothing that can’t be identified for any certain Tribe, and T’Challa plows through them with ease; probably just foot soldiers, not particularly powerful or with impressive weapons, and he leaves them for the Palace Guards to collect.

“Rebels?” Toni asks, leaning down and swiping a spear off one of the downed masked soldiers. “Resistance?”

“There were some who resisted rejoining the world.” T’Challa admits, “But I had never thought that they would attack fellow Wankandans.”

Toni winces, “You’re a good guy, Brad Kitt.” She tells him, “But there’s one thing that I learned a long time ago, and was reminded of recently; think the worst of everyone, you’re less likely to get hurt that way.”

“Everyone should get the chance to prove themselves, to be _better._ ”

She nods, but her eyes are sad. “In an ideal world.”

T’Challa sighs, “I would like to think that everyone has potential to do the right thing.”

“Depends on what they consider _right,_ Catticus Finch.” She slides around him, swinging her new spear experimentally, then prowls down the hall gracefully.

This time, it’s T’Challa who falls into step at her heels.

 

**_There is color deep within your eyes,_ **

 

T’Challa stares down at the man kneeling before him, stripped of all signs of wealth and status, and he’s saddened; this was a man the King had grown up playing with, one he had trusted to watch his back and considered one of his closest advisors and friends.

“Hodari, son of Aanuoluwakiishi and Heir to the Mining Clan,” T’Challa’s voice is powerful as he speaks, “You stand before us today accused of treason against Wakanda and her Throne, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Hodari glares, “ _You_ are the true traitor to Wakanda!” The leader of the violent rebellion spits, eyes wild as they land on Toni, who stands back next to Shuri and the Queen Mother. “Wakanda has no place in the world outside our boarders, and you betray your ancestors by opening us to _outsiders_!” He bares his teeth, “I did not betray Wakanda, I am _protecting_ it!”

“If you wished the crown, you had the chance to issue a challenge.” T’Challa reminds him, “You did not. Instead, you put lives in danger by organizing a violent revolt, and assaulting the Royal Palace. That is not protecting Wakanda, nor her people.”

“These outsiders will _ruin_ us!” Hodari snarls, “They steal our culture and smear it, they will never _understand_ us!”

“Your Highness,” Toni speaks up suddenly, and T’Challa pauses as eyes turn towards the odd one out in the Council Room, “May I speak freely?”

Hearing her speak so formally was a little off putting for T’Challa, but he inclines his head in allowance, and Toni steps forward to stand beside his throne.

“ _Nobody_ can stay isolated forever,” She says, eyes sweeping through the _Taifa Nagao_ , “Not even a country as powerful as Wakanda. Eventually, people would start testing your borders, and no defense is perfect, they’d get curious and next thing you know you have forces circling Wakanda like vultures, looking for resources.” She adjusts her stance, shoulders back and chin raised proudly, unbending in the face of the judgmental stares.

( _Like a Queen,_ the Panther purrs)

“I know I’m an outsider, but everyone can use an outside opinion.” Brown eyes look almost gold in the sunlight; she looks powerful and every inch a queen. “And I’ll tell you that the world is catching up with you; Wakanda needs allies. You may be the most technologically advanced country on Earth, but there are other civilizations out there, and not all of them are friendly. History is being made with every day that passes; what side of it do we want to be on?” She stared down at Hodari, head tilted, and T’Challa can see the information sinking into his mind and taking hold.

“You truly believe that there is an invasion coming.” The man mutters, and Toni nods.

“I _know_ it’s coming, I’ve _seen_ it.” Then she’s looking at the Council once more. “What invaded New York in 2012 was only a tiny portion of the army that’s coming. They won’t care about colour or religion, or _anything_ like that, they just want us _dead_. We need all hands on deck, and fighting amongst ourselves does us no favors in the invasion to come.”

The _Taifa Nagao_ goes silent, and Toni bows her head to T’Challa, but when she moves to step back, he shakes his head.

She remains at his side, and the symbolism is not missed.

(Years later, T’Challa will willingly admit that this was the very moment when he made up his mind; he was in love with this stubborn, sarcastic woman, and it wasn’t just admiration that he felt towards her.)

 

_**A history that only you and I could write.** _

 

_He’s running, running towards Baba._

_But not fast enough, never quick enough, and the explosion tears through the building; T’Challa is caught by the force and thrown in the opposite direction as Baba as his father and king is swallowed by flames. T’Challa hits the ground and rolls to his feet._

_People are screaming, there’s ash in the air and the smell of burnt flesh assaults his nose._

_He is crying for Baba, but his father doesn’t move._

_He’s dead._

T’Challa wakes in a cold sweat, the smell of ash and death clogging his sense of smell, and he rolls out of bed, shaking violently. His Baba’s eyes are seared into his memory, the way he had looked as he died, the weight of his body as T’Challa cried into his ruined suit.

He won’t be getting any more sleep tonight, T’Challa knows, so he changes, throwing his sweat–soaked pajamas aside for the maids to collect, and steps out of his room, making way towards the Palace library.

He steps inside, pauses, and he meets the eyes of Toni Stark.

She’s curled up on one of the plush cushions scattered throughout the library, a small pile of books piled next to her, and another in her lap. She looks tired, dressed in a rumpled tunic and tights, with one of the woven blankets from her chambers laying across her shoulders.

“Miss Stark,” He greets in surprise, and she smiles.

“Hey there, Chairman Meow.” She closes the book gently, and pats the cushion next to her, “Trouble sleeping?”

He lowers himself onto the cushion, swiping a novel from her pile for himself, “A busy mind.” He offers, and Toni chuckles.

“I know the feeling.” Then brown eyes sharpen, “Let me guess, nightmares?”

T’Challa cracks the book open, to keep his mind occupied, ”My father.” He admits with a sigh, and Toni’s eyes soften.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asks, “Pepper tells me that it helps.”

T’Challa hesitates, staring blankly at the words dancing across the page, before answering in a hoarse whisper. “I wasn’t fast enough. He was right in front of me, and I couldn’t save him. What kind of son am I that I could not even save my own _father_?”

“An alive one, to start.” Toni counters bluntly, and T’Challa looks up. “I don’t think that your father would have wanted you to give your life for his.” T’Challa is silent, and Toni continues. “Do you think your father would want you to give your life?”

He lets out a small breath, remembering his father in the Ancestors Plane, the look in his eyes.

He remembers the _relief_ in Baba’s eyes when he had seen him alive after the explosion.

 _No,_ his father wouldn’t have wanted that.

“And you?” He asks, offering a small smile, and Toni shrugs.

“I just don’t sleep much.”

T’Challa hums, then sets the book aside once more, “Would you like to join me for an early breakfast?”

Toni grins, “Will there be coffee?”

 

**_There is pigment in your memory,_ **

 

Toni leaves Wakanda and he’s sad to see her go; in her time in the Royal Palace, she had gained the respect of everyone she came across, she had even charmed the Taifa Nagao. She _fits_ , like there had been a Toni-shaped hole in Wakanda that no one had noticed until she was _there_.

As they watch Toni board her plane, T’Challa can’t quite hide the fond smile that grows on his face as she turns back to him for a moment and shoots him a playful wink.

“Brother,” Shuri speaks up, “Marry that woman.”

“Working on it.” He admits, and his sister laughs.

 

_**The origins of our family tree.** _

 

The Black Panther steps out of Doctor Strange’s portal just on time to see a queen made of iron blast over his head, and easily remove one of the robots’ heads from its shoulders. T’Challa pauses for only a moment to appreciate her form and the power held in the small body within the suit much like T’Challa’s own, before throwing himself into battle, Songbird, Madrox, Domino, Cloak and Dagger, and Daredevil a few steps behind him as they disperse into the battle.

“ _The Great Catsby has arrived!_ ” Toni laughs over the comms, and T’Challa snorts as he tears through a group of androids to sweep an elderly man who had gotten caught out of danger, and towards the nearest Iron Legion unit. “Madrox, can you send your copies into the surrounding buildings? Help the Iron Legions evacuate them, they may need a human touch.”

“ _On it._ ”

“ _Everyone else, limit human casualties and get these cheap ass robots off my streets. They’re an eyesore._ ”

There’s scattered laughter over the communication line, and they get to work.

 

_**Though I never needed any proof** _

 

T’Challa crashes into the Rogue Avengers’ wing right as Scott Lang drops limply to the ground, red wisps of magic surrounding his head, mouth open in a silent scream, and the room’s occupants go silent in shock.

“What have you done?” Wilson utters in horror, eyes moving from the downed man and to Maximoff, who looks close to tears.

“He was going to _betray_ us!” The young woman cries, “I _had_ to! I won’t go back, it was horrible there!”

“Xoliswa, T’Yana, take Mister Lang to the labs for medical attention.” T’Challa orders, and the two Dora Milaje spring into action, moving the man from the wing, and T’Challa turns angry eyes towards the Rogues. “This seems to be a common, repetitive factor of your relationships with others.” He notes; Toni Stark, The Vision, Colonel Rhodes, T’Challa himself, and now Lang. “Attacking those who you call your allies, causing others pain if they do not agree with you.”

“It was unfortunate,” Rogers starts, gathering Maximoff to his side, bundling her up like a child he need to protect, instead of protecting _others_ from _her_. “But it was an _accident_. Wanda doesn’t have very good control of her powers when she gets scared.”

“Then she needs to _get control_.” T’Challa points out, but he didn’t quite believe the sobbing woman. “She puts everyone around her in danger if she does not control herself.”

“We’re working on it, but it’s hard on her, being locked up like this- it’s hard on all of us.” Rogers deflects, and T’Challa’s eyes narrow. “If we could go out-”

“ _No_.” The King interrupts, “If you are to stay here, under my protection, you _cannot_ bring attention to yourself.”

“So, we’re your prisoners?” The Captain bristles, and T’Challa raises an eyebrow.

“You are not.” T’Challa points out, “If you know of a place you can go, without placing yourself or others in danger, then we will take you to the borders of Wakanda. However, there is no other country on Earth that will willingly allow you within their borders; you have _no_ funds, _no_ weapons, and _no_ other place to go. If you decide to leave Wakanda, you will _not_ be allowed to return.”

The silent, _go ahead try me_ , isn’t missed, and the Rogues fall silent.

 

_**To know the heart that beats inside of you.** _

 

Lang recovers, with the help of Toni’s B.A.R.F technology, but not fully; there will be holes in his mind for the rest of his life, moments of blankness, and a shortened memory, but he does recover, and T’Challa helps the man turn himself into the proper authorities, and even helps him employ a good lawyer in recompense in allowing the man to be harmed while under his protection.

The UN is not pleased with T’Challa when he informs them that he has Rogers and his team under guard in Wakanda, in an attempt to keep them from harming any other people, but Toni comes to his aide; telling the board that it was much better to have the Rogues under surveillance, then being left in the dark, and having the Rebel Avengers run roughshod around the world.

“Besides,” Toni points out, “We don’t fully know how to contain people with their abilities, and they’ve already escaped authorities' multiple times. They’re under lock and key, and we can spend this time preparing for their trials, but the moment they get wind that they’ve just traded one prison for another, and that we’re on their scent, they’re going to try making a break for it again, and we put people in danger if we allow this.”

 

_**Only one thing really matters:** _

 

When the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive and share the news and proof of the imminent arrival of the invading force, the world finally takes seriously what Toni had been telling them and panic.

Panicked people tend to make rash decisions, and the UN proves this when the decision is made to grant the Rogue Avengers a temporary pardon, with the chance of reduced sentences if they help protect the world against the threat of Thanos’ army.

T’Challa, the man, does not approve of the decision to give such dangerous people a ‘victory’, nor does he like the decision to put them back in contact with their victims and Toni.

But T’Challa isn’t just a man, he’s also a King, and he needs to do what benefits and protects his people, and having more people on the front lines mean that there’s more heroes defending them.

Even Maximoff, who’s history and actions proved her untrustworthiness, was to be given one of the deals, her powerful abilities working in her favour. However, on the request of Avengers already in the Initiative who were nervous about having the HYDRA volunteer on their teams, it was declared that one amendment that at least two other telepaths were to be around her when interacting with others, and her powers were to be monitored, in case of another ‘ _accident_ ’.

 

**_We’re still here. We’re still here._ **

 

T’Challa delivers the news of the deals to Rogers’ rogue team, then hangs back and listens, watches, disgusted by their reactions. He listens to the insults they spew towards Toni, the violence they wish to enact before ‘forgiving’ her for her ‘faults’, and he listens to Rogers sigh longingly and tell the team about his relationship with Toni, and how he plans to ‘work’ on her and resume their romantic relationship.

( _It is not allowed,_ the Panther growls, pacing in it’s corner of his mind. _He has no claim, not any longer, not after what he did!_ )

T’Challa’s eyes are cold as he watches their misplaced celebrations, Okoye stiff at his side, a rage shared between them in Toni’s defense, and he agrees with the Panther.

Steve Rogers has no claim on Toni’s affections; in fact, her warmth for the man was non-existent, and she wanted nothing to do with the Captain unless it was to rip him apart.

( _We have time,_ the Panther points out slyly, _Stake our claim first._ )

 

**_Through the static,_ **

 

As is tradition, T’Challa approaches Toni’s family first.

Rhodes is accepting of T’Challa’s request to properly court his adoptive sister, spending a number of minutes staring him down before sighing.

“As long as Toni accepts and you don’t force her into anything.” The Colonel tells him, “If you do, I’ll rip apart anything that Toni and Pepper leaves me.”

T’Challa agrees solemnly, informing the man that if he did hurt Toni, or force her to do things she didn’t want, he would face justice from his intended, and then return to his country to accept Wakandan justice as was customary as well.

Colonel Rhodes seemed to find the fact amusing, “Toni loves flowers.” He tells him, a small smile on his face. “They remind her of her mother.”

Next, is The Vision, and through the android, FRIDAY and Toni’s bots as well; all of Toni’s creations and children, accept his request to seek a relationship with the mechanic, quite eagerly as well.

“You make Boss happy.” FRIDAY informs him, and The Vision nods.

“She does accept and seek out your company.” The android agrees.

Then, T’Challa approaches the most dangerous of his targets; Mrs. Pott-Hogan is a formidable force, fiercely protective of the woman she considered a younger sister, and apparently, she had been informed of his intentions ahead of time.

Either that, or Toni’s suspicion that her CEO was omni-present wasn’t that far off.

“I agree.” Mrs. Potts informs him primely, folding her hands in her lap as Mister Hogan crosses his arms over his chest. “On one condition.”

“Yes?”

“You keep Rogers the fuck away from my sister.” She orders him, “And if she kills him, you help her hide the body.”

T’Challa agrees, and Mrs. Potts takes him out to an upscale florist, and picks out a collection of flowers that T’Challa suspects means something, but he isn’t sure, and informs him of Toni’s favourite restaurants and places.

And finally, T’Challa approaches Toni, nervous and tense.

She says _yes._

 

**_Through the ashes_ **

 

“ _Ododo mi,_ ” T’Challa murmurs as they return from dinner, and Toni turns towards him as he approaches slowly until they are pressed together. “May I kiss you?” She doesn’t pull away, instead, her hands slide up his arms to rest on his shoulders and curl around his neck.

Her breath brushes against his cheek, and she whispers, “Yes.”

He takes her into his arms, herds her against the wall, and presses his lips against hers.

( _Ours,_ the Panther purrs)

 

**_We were brave._ **

 

“ _Mo nifẹ rẹ._ ” T’Challa tells her as they fall into bed, chanting it like a prayer. “ _Oro ayo mi._ ”

“I have no idea what that means, Kitten.” Toni moans against his shoulder, nipping at the skin gently as her arms circle his shoulders and pulls him closer. She kisses his shoulder, his neck, his jaw, then kisses him deeply.

“ _I love you_.” He repeats, and Toni freezes for a moment, eyes widening as they meet his heavy stare. “I love you, _Arewa_.”

She’s silent, brown eyes searching his own, before she relaxes against him, pulling him into another kiss. “ _Anche io ti amo._ ”

 

**_Through the perils_ **

 

Toni is tense as Rogers’ and his team is lead away, fists clenched tightly around her StarkPad while Barton and Maximoff glare at her as they’re led away.

T’Challa stands at her side, a silent show of support, and the moment the pardoned Avengers are out of sight, he reaches out and pulls her against him in a tight embrace. Toni folds herself into him, shaking with rage, and he rubs his cheek against the top of her head.

“I am here, _Ife mi_.” He rumbles, guiding her away to a more secluded spot. “ _Mo nifẹ rẹ._ ”

“I don’t want them here,” She says quietly, voice shaking in anger. “I want them _gone_ and out of my life.”

“I know, _Orekelewa._ ”

“I’m going to have to work with them again.” Toni grumbles, “I’m not going to do anything to them, not unless they start something. JOCASTA will be recording _everything_ , and if they so much as look at my people strangely, I will _ruin_ them.”

“I know you will, my Iron Queen.” T’Challa chuckles, and presses a kiss to her forehead. “Would you like to join me for dinner tonight, _Ade ori mi_?”

She sighs, lifting herself onto her toes to press their lips together, and she smiles as she pulls away. “It’s your turn to choose.”

 

_**Of endless narrow escapes,** _

_**We're still here. We're still here.** _


End file.
